Trained by some of the great masters in the three basic aspects of Kathak - Gaayan, Vaadan and Nartan - Pt. Durgalaji was a complete dancer. An artiste of unusual merit and rare qualities.

Born in 1948 in Mahendragrah, Rajasthan, his initiation into the world of art was through Hindustani Classical Musical, which he learned from his father Pt. Omkar Lalji. He later received the training of Pakhawaj from Pt. Purushottam of Nathdwara, and acquired proficiency in playing the Pakhawaj as well as the Tabla.

In the beginning, Durgalaji started learning Kathak from his own brother. Later, both brothers secured a scholarship to study Kathak at Bhartiya Kala Kendra from Pt. Sunder Prasadji.

In his early twenties, Durgalalji succeeded in becoming a famous dancer, and then started performing in all the great Sammelans in India as well as abroad.

The aesthetics of the physical and artistic dimensions of Durgalalji was matched by the man's unblemished character. He was a great Guru, a disciplinarian and a hard worker. Durgalaji's constant advice to his disciples was, "Do not become parrots. Feel the movement, make it your own and do it, so that the dance is your statement and not an imitation of your Guru."

He started teaching Kathak, first at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, then at Bharatiya Kala Kendra, and in the last few years of his life, he was teaching as a senior Guru of the Jaipur Gharana at Kathak Kendra, New Delhi. He was a recipient of honour from various public and private bodies, both at home as well as abroad. In 1984, he received the highest honour in the field of Performing Arts - The Sangeet Natak Academy Award.